Top bunker refrigerator car



prill 8, 1941. c. D. BQNSALL 2,237,405

TOP BUNKER REFRIGERATOR CAR Original Filed Nov. 22, 1937 Patented Apr. 8, 1941 2,237,405 TOP BUNKER REFRIGERATOR CAR Charles D. Bonsall, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Refrigerator Company, a corporation of Dela- Original application November 22, 1937, Serial No.

175,762. Divided and this application J anuary l1, 1939, Serial No. 250,403

(Cl. (i2-m17) 10 Claims.

The invention relates to refrigerator cars for handling perishable commodities and more particularly to what is known as the top bunker type of refrigerator car wherein an ice or liquid refrigerant container is positioned adjacent the roof of the car and provided with a drip pan therebelow and spaced therefrom to provide a substantially horizontally disposed flue which communicates with a vertical ue associated with the vertical wall of the car, whereby air in the horizontally disposed flue being cooled and densifled by the ice in the refrigerant container is caused to descend through the vertical flue from whence it rises through the foraminous floor and then through the lading, and being warmed thereby, reenters the horizontally disposed flue and repeats the cycle.

One of the objects of the invention is to form the ice container so that a part of the melted `ice will pass through the bottom thereof to the drip pan and a part of the melted ice will be temporarily retained in the container so that the melted ice so temporarily retained will help cool the air circulating through the horizontally disposed flue.

Another object is to provide means in the lower parts of the container so as to allow the melted ice to gradually escape from the container into the horizontally disposed flue over the drip pan so as to help cool the air circulating in the ue. :f:

Another object is to form the lower parts of the container so as to retard the service movements of the car from swishing melted ice over the bottom of the container.

In the drawing:

Fig, l shows part of a cross section of a railway refrigerator car incorporating some of my inventions. Y

Figs, 2, 3, 4 and 5 show the container and parts thereof in detail.

In the form of the invention illustrated one or more refrigerant chambers or containers 2 are preferably positioned on each side of the center line 3 of the car adjacent the roof 4 of the car Yand also preferably adjacent the side or other vertical wall 5 of the car. Hatchways 6 are provided in the roof above the container 2 for loading it with ice or other refrigerant. The usual hatch plug 'I and hatchway lid are used. The

partition Ill is held in spaced relation to the side substantially horizontally disposed flue IG, which flue, however, inclines downwardly toward and communicates with the vertical flue I3. A partition or member I'I extends upwardly from the inner margin of the drip pan I 5 and is spaced from the refrigerant container 2 to provide a short vertical nue Ill. The vertically disposed members Il on opposite sides of the center line 3 of the car are spaced apart to provide an air channel or passageway 2 I. A floor rack or foraminous false floor 23 rests upon the insulated floor 24 and is spaced therefrom to provide a horizontal flue 25 which communicates with the vertical flue I3.

In such a refrigerator car air in the horizontally disposed iiue I5 being cooled and densied by a refrigerant in the refrigerant container 2 moves down the downwardly and outwardly lnclined drip pan I5 into the vertical flue I3, thence into the space 25 below the lading and rising through the apertures 25 in the foraminous floor 23, passes through or between the lading and being warmed and rareed by the lading, rises and 1 passes upwardly through the passageway 2l and vertical fiue I8 into the horizontally disposed flue I6 from whence the cycle is repeated.

Fig. 2 shows a container wherein the bottom thereof comprises upper and lower parts with the lower part comprising a plurality of spaced apart channel shape members 'I0 and the upper part comprising a solid member II having apertures I2 therein above the channels 'I3 of the channel shaped members 'Ill so that the melted ice passes through said apertures 'I2 and is temporarily retained in the channels 'I3 until it overiiows into the spaces 'l5 between the channel shaped members. It may be desirable to use an ordinary wire mesh fabric or grilled member for the upper part Il so that some of the melted ice may pass directly through the spaces 'I5 between the channel shaped members.

Fig. 3 shows a modification wherein the upper part of the double bottom of the container comprises a plurality of spaced apart inverted channel shape members with the spaces BI there between over the channels 82 of the channel member 83 forming the lower part of the bottom. The flanges I4 of the lower channels 83 preferably overlap the flanges 85 of the channels 80 of the upper part to provide a waterseal.

When a two part bottom is used for the con- Atainer I preferably provide means therebetween so that they will cooperate as tension and comthe side walls of the container increasing the strength of the bottom of the container.

A plurality of receptacles for the melted ice to form the lower part of the double bottom may be used and still come within the scope of this invention.

The construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 show the bottom of the container comprising an upper part (9B) and lower part (9|) provided with nonregistering apertures 92-93 therein and hollow members 94 registering with the apertures 93 in the lower part 9| but not registering with apertures 92 in the upper part 90. These members 94 have perforated (96) vertical walls. In this construction the melted ice passes through the apertures 92 in the upper part 90 and is retained by the lower part 9| until the water is high enough to pass through the perforations 9B in the side walls of member 94.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

This is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 175,762, led November 22, 1937, now matured into Patent No. 2,168,557.

I claim:

`1. In a refrigerator car compris-ing a Wall having a vertical flue associated therewith, a liquid refrigerant container and a drip pan positioned below and spaced from said container which drains liquid refrigerant from said container into said vertical flue and also forms a duct for circulation of air from under the Irefrigerant container to said flue, the bottom of said container comprising metallic plates in spaced substantiallly horizontal planes, each of said plates being provided with apertures which do not register with the apertures in the other plate.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1 including hollow members regis-tering with the apertures in the lower :part only, which members have perforated walls.

3. In a refri erator car comprising a wall having a vertical flue associated therewith, a liquid refrigerant container and a drip pan positioned ybelow and spaced from said container which drains liquid refrigerant from said container into said vertical flue and also forms a duct for circulation of air from under the refrigerant container to said flue, the bottom of said container comprising upper and lower plates in spaced substantialay horizon-tal planes, each of sai-d plates being provided with apertures which do no-t register with the apertures in ythe other plate, said lower plate provided with means positioned below the apertures in the upper plate to temporarily retain the refrigerant.

4. In a refrigerator car comprising a wall having a vertical flue associated therewith, a liquid refrigerant lcontainer and a drip pan positioned below and spaced from said container which drainsliquid refrigerant from said container into said vertical flue and also forms a duct for circuiation yof air from under the refrigerant container to said due, the bottom of said container forming a support for a refrigerant and comprising upper and lower parts associated and arranged so that part of the liquid refrigerant will pass through said bottom to the drip pan and part of the melted ice will be retained in the container, said upper and lower parts also being associated and arranged to provide la water-seal.

5. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a refrigerant container, la duct adjacent the bottom of the container, and means to direct a flow of air through said duct, said bottom comprising upper and lower parts arranged so that part of a liquid refrigerantis retained within the container and part is deposited in said duct, said lower part comprising a plurality of spaced apart channel shaped members and said upper part comprising a solid member having apertures ltherein above the channels of the channel shaped members.

i6. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a refrigerant container, a duct a-djacenlt the bottom of 'the container, and means to direct a flow of air through said duct, said bottom comprising upper and lower parts arranged so that part of a liquid refrigerant is retained within the container 4and part is deposited in said duct, said lower part comprising a plurality of spaced apart channel shaped members and said upper part comprising a plurality of spaced apart inverted channel shaped members with the spaces therebetween above the channels of the lower part.

'7. In a refrigerator car, .the combination of a refrigerant container, a duct adjacent the bottom of the container, and means to direct a flow of air through said duct, said bottom comprising upper and lower pants arranged so that part of a liquid refrigerant is retained Within the container and part is deposited in sai-d duct, said lower part comprising `a plurality cf spaced apart receptacles and said upper pant comprising a solid member having apertures therein above the receptacles, whereby melted ice passing Ithrough said apertures is caught and temporarily retained by the receptacles to cool `the circulating air.

8. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a refrigerant container, a duct adjacent the bottom of said container, means to dir-ect a flow of air :through said duct, said bottom comprising an upper part arranged to form the sole support for solid refrigerant in said container, a liquid retaining lower lpart adapted to receive liquid from said upper part, and means substantially distributed over the area of said upper part for draining the melted refrigerant inito said lower part.

9. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a refrigerant container, a duct adjacent the bo'ttom of said container, means to direct a now of air .through said duct, said bottom comprising an upper part arranged to form the sole support for solid refrigerant in said container, a liquid retaining lower part adapted to receive liquid from said upper part, and means for draining all of the melted refrigerant from said upper part.

10. In a refrigerator car, the combination of a refrigerant container, a duct adjacent the bottom of said container, means to direct a flow of air through said duct, said bottom comprising an upper part arranged to form :the sole support for solid refrigerant in said container, a liquid retaining lower part adapted to receive liquid from said upper part, and means Ltor draining the melted refrigerant from said upper pant into 'said lower pant, said lower part arranged to overflow some of said melted refrigerant into said duct.

CHARLES D. BONSALL. 

